La Malinche

They say a bad workman always blames his tools. In my case I have a decent tool but am lacking in the appropriate skills to use it. I’m referring to photography and despite having a high end pocket camera, the quality of photographs sometimes posted to this blog are definitely low end and do not do justice to the dishes I’ve eaten and where I’ve enjoyed them. I’m hoping 2012 will be the year I eradicate this weakness.

Sadly this post about La Malinche suffers from those lack of skills and I apologise to them in advance for such a weak pictoral representation. The recent opening by a Geordie and his Mexican partner is named after an iconic female figure in Mexican culture and brings yet more colour and vibrancy to this corner of the Gaixample area of the city.

They also have a large room on the upstairs floor which would be perfect for hosting a group or private party, something warm and attentive co-owner Ross said they would be more than happy to accomodate.

The dishes we shared were lively and flavoursome, the guacamole norteño was refreshingly not straight from the fridge and you could taste the richness of the avocado and the ripeness of the tomatoes because of that. The portion was very generous and just a few extra chips to scoop up the remainder wouldn’t have gone a miss.

Guacamole norteño

We followed this with tacos de pollo con achiote, the breast meat was juicy and had been marinated in anchiote which I have since discovered is a spice common to the Central America region and used extensively in Mexican kitchens. The grilled pineapple added a fruity sourness and crunch which I really enjoyed.

Chicken tacos with ‘achiote’

The mushroom and cheese stuffed quesadillas with homemade bean sauce was the only weak dish of the evening, not only in terms of the lack of flavour and seasoning that the previous dishes had offered, but also the plate of overwhelming bean sauce did not entice you to dive in. More than half the sauce remained on the plate once the quesadillas had gone. Less would’ve lifted the dish and surely saved the kitchen a few pennies on wasted ingredients.

Mushroom and cheese quesadillas with homemade bean sauce

We finished with the chocoflan which was a fun combination of half chocolate sponge, which had that wonderful homemade flavour about it, and half a classic Spanish custard flan of dulce de leche. The drizzle of raspberry sauce provided the tangy compliment to chocolate it always does.

Chocoflan

As I we sipped the last of our fruity mojitos, mango daiquiri and beers we were surprised to be entertained by mariachi and the buzz of a restaurant that had filled up dramatically since we dipped that first tortilla in the avocado.

First impressions of this new venture were very promising and I wish my fellow northerner and his partner best wishes for it in the months to come. And a big apology for the grainy photos.

Jessica, it was quite reasonable, I think we paid under 20 euros each, not even that much. Most places I feature on the blog are around that price, my budget won’t stretch much further sadly!
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